The Launch Of The New 26-30 ‘Millennial’ Railcard Has Been A Disaster

When the government announced the new railcard, they were likely hoping to claw back some reputation amongst a disillusioned generation.

Even when the announcement was first made, people were quick to pick holes in it. Turns out we didn’t even know the half of it.

As people tried desperately this morning to get their hands on the new railcard things quickly turned into a shambles. Seemingly everyone who tried to purchase was greeted by this unfortunate woman.

So what’s the problem?

We were fed a promise of a generation being able to save on already extortionate rail travel. Instead what we found out yesterday was that it would merely be a national trial of the new discount.

Yes, of the roughly 4.5 million people eligible for the card, only 10,000 would be made available.

Something Philip Hammond decided to leave out when he made the big announcement as part of the last budget. Turns out there’s not actually any concrete plans to make the release a permanent one at all, according to rail companies.

Further disappointment for young people

It’s barely a secret that younger generations have suffered under the conservative government. From tripled tuition fees to the knowledge home ownership isn’t remotely in sight.

This is just the latest setback for a generation already largely feeling alienated.

I spend about £100 on train tickets a week. This 26-30 #railcard could save me £1000’s. When it was announced, I built it into my yearly budget – it makes a huge difference! And then they let everyone down by only ‘trialing’ 10,000 and letting the buying system crash #railcard

Anyway, this morning’s fun game is watching the @_Railcards website collapse and the phone lines melt down because they have decided that of 5 million millenials only 10,000 should be able to afford rail travel. It’s essentially a Public Transport Hunger Games. #genius#railcard